Test of Rain
by stitcher2ficcer
Summary: The rainy season begins, and Sanzo gets the worst of a drenching day. Goku offers comfort. Lots of mud, a tad of GojyoHakkai fluff, and a good bit of GokuSanzo yaoi for those who thought “Awakenings” didn’t have quite enough 39 to satisfy. [Complete
1. Mudbath

AN: This story takes place after "Awakenings," when Goku & Sanzo and Gojyo & Hakkai have already come together, as that epic describes; Goku exhibits—sometimes, at least—the maturity and new skills he gained in that story. It's not necessary to have read "Awakenings" to enjoy this little tale, but their relationships here may seem more natural if you know how they got to this point. So if you haven't read "Awakenings" yet, I hope you will, and I'd be happy to know what you think.

Chapter One: PG-13 for language and hinted shounen-ai; chapter two contains 39 yaoi and bits of 58 yaoi which will likely boost this story's rating to R; if male/male sexual content is not to your taste, you may want to leave now and look for another story to enjoy.

Dedicated to Keistje for friendship and mutual love of Saiyuki romance. A congratulations gift for completing her first-ever fanfic, the novel-length Saiyuki saga: "A Simple Kiss." Thanks for playing beta.

**Test of Rain**

Drip.

Genjo Sanzo's cheek twitched as a wet droplet struck.

Drip.

His closed eyes screwed tighter shut against the watery attack.

Drip.

His hand brushed the wetness from his cheek as he rolled onto his side, pulling his small, damp camp pillow over his head to escape the rainy assault.

Splash!

His hand landed in the small puddle that had collected beside his sleeping bag.

"Damn it all!" he swore, as he bolted up in the gloomy light of the oncoming day, finally pulled from a brief, restless sleep by the increasingly rapid assault of droplets breaking through the ceiling of their saturated tent. It was not bad enough that the rainy season had struck with a vengeance, but they had been caught two days from any settlement that could offer the protection of an inn, or even a wayside cottage.

Sanzo sincerely hoped that the tarp over their bags, in the jeep's back seat, would at least afford him dry clothes. His skin felt clammy in his damp jeans and wet coverings, a small spring of water having broken through the damaged spot in the tent's worn floor, creating a stream under his bedroll that had soaked through to his skin. "Fuck!" he elaborated as he pushed aside the wet blankets and scrabbled onto a marginally drier spot near Goku. This was **not** going to be a good day.

Goku's snore was interrupted as he adjusted his position against the monk's nearby weight and burrowed into his own damp pillow, seemingly undisturbed by the torrential rain. Sanzo snarled and whacked him with his fan, torn between anger and envy that his partner could sleep even through this. "Wake up, idiot! Time to get going!"

Goku groaned and turned his head away from Sanzo, hugging his pillow with both arms. "Nnn, Sanzo, it's too wet to keep going."

Sanzo peeled a damp blanket off Goku's torso and pushed his shoulder firmly with his open palm. "Get up and get this tent down! I intend to reach someplace dry by tonight."

Goku rubbed the sleep from his eyes and smiled up at the man whose heart he had finally won a few weeks before, after a particularly trying series of near-fatal youkai attacks had forced them to rethink their relationship. Goku traced his fingertips along the scar on Sanzo's chest left by the surgery that had repaired his broken rib and collapsed lung. "Make me," Goku teased his lover, as unfazed by the man's bad mood as he was by the steady rain.

Sanzo slapped his hand away and rose, his head colliding with the badly sagging tent roof, pushing a water-filled bulge outward so the water that had collected there spilled off the roof and over the side of the tent. The deluge streamed through the saturated canvas wall onto Goku and his bedroll. When he twisted out of its way and into the monk's legs, Sanzo collapsed over him and landed in the puddle collecting in Goku's former position.

"Eeeeeeehhhh…" Sanzo seethed back to his feet, aiming his pistol at the younger man. "Get us the hell out of here!" Goku dragged his forearm across his face to reduce the wetness, then crawled out of the tent, dragging some of the wet bedding with him.

By the time Goku had rolled up the blankets and taken down the tent, Sanzo had awakened the others and rigged a tarp over some low-hanging branches in a stand of thick trees, so they had a reasonably rain-free spot to get dressed. He threw his rain poncho on over his robe before he emerged from the makeshift shelter, drawing the hood over his damp hair to prevent rain from dripping into his neckline. He fumbled under the poncho for his cigarettes and lighter, and took his place in the front seat of the jeep to await the others.

"Fucking shit," said Sanzo when he tried to draw a cigarette from the pack. In his constant quest to find a dry spot in the tent during the night, he must have rolled over on the pack; it was crushed nearly flat. With some difficulty he was able to withdraw a flattened stick from the pack, and he took a minute to roll it between his fingers to push it back into shape. By the time it was a cylinder again, it was also quite damp. He put it between his lips and flicked his lighter near the tip.

Click. Nothing. Click. Fleeting spark. Click. An even fleeter spark. Another flick, and the lighter failed even to click. Sanzo threw it to the floor of the jeep.

Hakuryuu kyuued forlornly, presumably distraught about having been forced out of the nest Hakkai had made for him in one of his shirts in the driest corner of the second tent.

"Shut up," Sanzo told the dragon-turned-jeep. The cigarette flattened between his fingers again as he removed it from his mouth. "You're no wetter than the rest of us."

Another forlorn kyu.

Hakkai patted the hood of the jeep as he walked past to join Sanzo in the front seat. "I know, Hakuryuu. We're not happy about it either. But do your best. We should reach a town and an inn by evening."

"Ch'," said Sanzo. "We damn well better!"

"What do we have to eat?" Goku asked the two in the jeep as he climbed in, his mood cheerful enough to set Sanzo's teeth on edge. "I'm hungry."

"Save it," Sanzo snarled, drawing the fan from his sleeve.

Standing behind the front seat, Goku grabbed the fan, twisting it out of Sanzo's hand before the monk had a chance to land it. "Once was enough, Sanzo!" he protested. "I'm not any happier about this weather than you are; but I'm trying to make the best of it. Don't take it out on me!" He threw the fan after the cigarette lighter, where the paper folds wilted in the growing puddle on the floor at Sanzo's feet. Then he flopped into the seat behind the monk and pulled their food pack into his lap, searching for breakfast.

Climbing into the jeep from the opposite side, Gojyo grabbed the orange Goku pulled out. "Thanks," he said as he plopped down beside the younger man and began peeling the fruit.

"Hey, kappa!" shouted Goku.

"You've got another one," Gojyo observed as Goku pulled a second orange from the pack. "Want some, Hakkai?" Gojyo leaned over the front seat, offering a few segments of orange to their driver, then sat back and successfully lit a Hi-Lite, grinning smugly at Sanzo as his first puff of smoke disappeared into the rain.

"Move it," ordered Sanzo, the vein in his temple throbbing with his increasing irritation and the desire to swipe the cigarette from the half-youkai and thrash him. Hakkai hit the gas, and the jeep kyuued again as its wheels spun in the mud, then finally caught, jerking the party on their way, their ponchos and faces spattered with mud from the tires.

===============

Poor visibility and the muddy, slippery road made driving difficult and progress slow, so even Goku's spirits were dampened by mid-morning. "When are we stopping for lunch?" he whined for at least the third time in a half hour.

"Shut up," Sanzo snapped. "I have no intention of stopping. I want to get to an inn today, not next week. I am not suffering through another night with you snoring in a cramped, wet tent. And if you don't shut up now, you can get out and walk."

"But I'm starving! We didn't have any breakfast."

"You had plenty."

"All we had was fruit, I'm hungry. And I want to dry off."

"SHUT UP!" Sanzo's pistol poked into the back seat, and a bullet whizzed past Goku's ear.

Hakkai glanced sideways. "Hmm, Sanzo, I'm as anxious as you to sleep in a dry bed tonight, but Goku does have a point. We might all do better with a meal and a half hour out of the rain. And Hakuryuu and I are both getting tired. I'm afraid if we don't take a break soon, neither one of us will be able to continue."

Sanzo muttered something to himself, then said aloud, "And where do you propose to stop?"

"We should be coming to a crossroads and small village soon. There won't be an inn, but there should at least be a shop or diner where we can get lunch or a few groceries."

"And cigarettes?" asked Gojyo hopefully. He had just lit his third Hi-Lite, and at the smell of the smoke, Sanzo turned back and looked longingly at the cigarette. Gojyo's eyes narrowed. "Don't even ask. I've only got three left and I'm not sharing them with a crabby monk."

Sanzo scowled and turned back to Hakkai. "Suit yourself. But if we're not to the next inn by nightfall, you'll all have hell to pay."

===============

Hell was closer than they thought, and Sanzo paid it, too.

Even Goku's extraordinary senses failed to pick up any sign of youkai when a torrential downpour forced Hakkai to stop the jeep in the shelter of a dense grove of trees. Unfortunately a band of youkai had sought cover in the trees earlier, and before Hakkai cut the engine, they descended onto the unsuspecting travelers. An outburst of shouts blended with the rain pounding through every available crack in the leafy canopy.

"The hell!" cried Gojyo as a particularly large creature crashed onto him.

"Oooomph!" exclaimed Hakkai as the youkai descending onto his back crushed him into the steering wheel.

Sanzo barely heard the others as one youkai landed atop him, pinning him into his seat, while a second landed on the hood of the jeep, swinging a hefty club into his face. Growling in defiance, the monk twisted one arm free in time to block the strike with his forearm, throwing enough of his strength into the move to off-balance the creature and send it sprawling. But before that one hit the ground a third had dropped down to take its place.

Goku had become aware of what was happening a split second before the attack, and the moment's preparation time allowed him to steel himself and throw his assailant to the ground. By the time the creature regained his feet, Goku had called Nyoibou. He smashed the staff into his attacker's head, then pulled back, jamming the opposite end into the side of the youkai that his seatmate was fighting off, toppling both the youkai and Gojyo over the side of the jeep into the mud.

Gojyo scrambled to maintain the upper position, kneeling astride the creature, his feet and knees slipping on the streaming ground. "Thanks for the warning, stupid monkey!" He smashed his raised fist into the youkai's face, as the hood of his poncho fell off and the rain began to soak through his red hair.

"You were complaining of boredom yesterday. Enjoy the surprise, ya' dumb watersprite!" Goku shouted back as he shortened Nyoibou to its three-segmented form. He leaped over the side of the jeep and set to work clubbing the two creatures that had wrestled Sanzo out of the jeep and were fighting to keep their hold on the writhing man, slippery in his mud-slicked poncho.

With one creature removed, Sanzo rolled free of the second and finally had an opportunity to pull his gun from the sleeve of his robe. He took aim while still lying on his back. "About time you get off your ass and lend a hand," he called to Goku between clenched teeth as he fired a shot at the next creature coming his way.

"You're welcome," returned Goku sarcastically as he dropped still another attacker into the mud with his staff.

"Now, now," called Hakkai as he jammed his elbow forcefully into the gut of the second of two youkai who had dragged him out of the jeep and from whom he had finally freed himself. "Work nicely together." He powered up his ki and let fly a green blast into another attacker headed Sanzo's way. As the blade of Gojyo's shakujou screamed past him to cut down another youkai about to strike at himself, Hakkai turned on his heel to return the favor, releasing a second burst of ki toward the treetops to blast still another dropping toward the half-breed.

"Thanks," said Gojyo, reeling in his weapon's chain.

"Anytime." He looked up and around. "Are we done?"

A shot from Sanzo's pistol punctuated Hakkai's question. "Yes," said Sanzo.

"No," said Goku as one of the youkai he had struck earlier grabbed Sanzo's ankle and pulled him back into the mud. Goku struck again, crushing the creature's skull. "Now, we're done." He stretched his hand out to Sanzo to pull the monk from the ground, mud covering the entire length of the man's robe, his badly torn poncho having been lost in the skirmish.

"If you'd done the job right the first time…" began Sanzo.

Goku was not in the mood to be further insulted. He let Sanzo's hand go, and the monk splattered back onto the mucky ground. Goku stood over him frowning, arms akimbo, with the rain streaming over his face and hair and collecting in the hood of his own poncho.

"Damn monkey," Sanzo growled, scrabbling to get purchase in the mud. His hands were nearly as black as the leather gloving his hands and arms, and his blond locks were plastered to his mud-spattered face and neck. Hakkai reached to help him up. Sanzo winced as he got to his feet, and Gojyo, snickering in the background, gave Goku a thumbs up.

Hakuryuu, having been emptied of passengers, had changed into his dragon form and found a safe perch on a branch above their heads. Their luggage and bedrolls lay in the mud where he had abandoned them, and now he kyuued reluctantly when Hakkai called him down to change back so they could pile their wet, muddied selves inside and get back on the road.

===============

Another hour's driving had brought them within sight of the crossroad village they were seeking, but found them stymied again when the jeep kyuued to a halt in the middle of the road, its two right tires mired in a mud-filled rut. Hakkai sighed and asked the backseat passengers to get out and push the vehicle free.

"Fucking shit," shouted Gojyo as the rear tires spun in the mud, throwing muck onto himself and Goku. The jeep kyuued sharply as its front end nearly came free of the trap, but then rocked back. Grunting with the effort and the frustration, they tried again, with the same result, before Hakkai climbed out of the jeep to join the pushers. "Would you please take the wheel, Sanzo," he directed the monk "You'll need to give it gas gently. Try not to gun it." Before joining the others behind the car, Hakkai looked for a couple large flat stones and placed them in the mud in front of the sunken tires, hoping to give the jeep something on which to get traction.

Stripped of his muddied robe and wearing Goku's too-short poncho over his jeans and leathers, Sanzo scowled as he took Hakkai's place behind the steering wheel. The next time the three behind him heaved, he slowly increased the pressure on the gas pedal until the wheels caught on the rocks enough for the jeep to suddenly spring forward onto more solid ground.

As the jeep lurched out of the rut's muddy grasp, Gojyo fell onto his knees in its wake, and Goku was sent sprawling into the same muddy patch from which the car had emerged. "Son of a bitch," he shouted, picking himself up and shaking the muck from his hands and arms. Gojyo, swearing himself, couldn't stifle his snicker at the sight of the figure beside him, mud-covered from head to toe.

"You think it's funny, fucking kappa?!" Before Gojyo totally recovered his own feet, he found himself on his back in the mud puddle, the mud-soaked younger man astride him.

"You've had it, you filthy monkey!" the redhead hollered as he grasped the other's shoulders and heaved himself over. The two rolled through the mud-puddle only twice before they lost interest in the fight and emerged from the mire, two brown and slimy statues.

Hakkai had managed to keep his balance and jump free of the muddy patch. He now stared at his two companions, rainwater streaming off their limp hair and faces, marking cleaner rivulets through the mud slathered on their clothing. The healer at first made a mildly sympathetic noise, but had to turn and cover his mouth to hide the laughter that emerged at their outrageous appearance.

The two mud-statues glanced at each other, and their own faces broke into grins, their teeth gleaming white in their mud-streaked faces. Gojyo reached a mud-covered hand to Hakkai's face, tracing a wet brown line with his fingertips from the brunette's cheekbone, along his jaw to the corded muscle in his neck. "If you think it's so amusing, 'kai, I'd be happy to share the pleasure with you." With his other arm, he reached suddenly to pull the youkai into a muddy bear hug.

Hakkai anticipated him, and thrust his arms out to push him back. "No, thank you, Gojyo."

The redhead pouted. "You're no fun. What's a little mud between friends?"

Glaring at them from the jeep, Sanzo groaned in disgust. "Move it!" he called. As the three approached, he leveled his pistol at them. "Don't you dare get into this jeep like that!"

Hakkai, the only one still protected by an intact though mud-stained rain garment, flashed a brief smile at him. "I'm inclined to agree, Sanzo. Besides, I think Hakuryuu would appreciate a break. I believe that's the village we were looking for, in sight ahead. Shall we walk the rest of the way?"

Sanzo scowled, and gunned the engine. "Suit yourself." The jeep wove its way rapidly down the slippery road under his inexpert guidance, leaving the others to trail behind. Goku and Gojyo shouted obscenities after him. When the jeep came to a stop in front of a handful of small, rough buildings a few hundred feet ahead, Sanzo pulled his bag out and disappeared onto the porch of the largest building. As soon as the other three caught up and retrieved their own packs, Hakuryuu changed to his dragon form, wringing wet, with one side and one wing muddied. He kyuued gratefully and snuggled into his master's arm, hiding his head under his wing, as they all sought cover in the small general store.

The grocer had protested when Sanzo entered, muddy and soaking wet, but he had backed down in the face of the angry spark that had flashed from the violet eyes. At the blond man's inquiry, he had pointed out a small backroom water closet where Sanzo could clean up. By the time his companions joined him, the monk was emerging from the washroom wearing a clean loose shirt over his wet jeans, his face and hands clean, and his hair still mussed and damp, but the dripping water toweled out of it.

Gojyo and Goku came in barefoot and stripped to the waist, having divested themselves of their muddy clothes on the porch, where they had left them hanging on the railing to be cleaned by the rain, which had already rinsed much of the mud from their jeans. Hakkai soothed the distraught storeowner by explaining their plight and enlisting his help to gather a few supplies and bring them lunch from the small deli counter he maintained. As they each emerged from the bathroom with clean shirts, and more-or-less mud-free, they took seats in the single booth near the deli, and the grocer relaxed into serving them lunch and drinks.

"What brings you to these parts in this weather?" he inquired as Hakkai came to the table, the last to have used the facilities.

Sanzo ignored the question and tried to light a cigarette from the fresh pack Hakkai had added to their purchases.

"We've been traveling west for nearly a year," Hakkai told him. "We're trying to reach the next town with an inn by nightfall."

"Hmm," said the shopkeeper. "Not very friendly weather for traveling."

Sanzo snorted and slammed his lighter on the table when it failed to work even in the dry interior of the store. At Hakkai's warning look, he bit back the impatient retort that came to his lips.

"No, it's not," said Hakkai to the storeowner. "Thank you for providing us with a place to dry off and rest. We apologize for any mess we've made." He glanced at Sanzo's scowling face. "Have you matches or a fresh lighter?"

The small, balding man reached on a shelf behind him and placed a new lighter on the table beside Sanzo. "Sorry I can't offer you accommodations," he apologized.

"Ch," said Sanzo.

"We have to move on anyway," said Hakkai. "Thank you."

"These are good," Goku commented as he stuffed the last of a pork dumpling into his mouth. He reached across the table for a rice ball and a pickled mushroom on the tray beside Gojyo.

The redhead slapped his hand. "Slow down and leave some for the rest of us, selfish monkey!"

"You've got a plateful, stupid kappa," Goku retorted, ignoring the request.

"There's plenty more," said the grocer. "My wife makes them fresh daily. Won't be anyone else coming out to get them today in this weather." He replaced the empty serving platter with another one, as full as the first had been.

Twenty minutes later, their moods improved by food, smokes—in Sanzo's and Gojyo's cases—and dry clothing, the four again braved the weather, the drenching rains having abated somewhat while they took their break. They took a few minutes to mend their ponchos as best they could with a roll of duct tape they had purchased, gathered their wet things from the porch, and returned to the jeep. This time Gojyo claimed shotgun, leaning over to drop a light kiss on his partner's wet cheek before he settled into the seat. Sanzo scowled, but joined the younger man in the backseat without complaint, an arrangement that had occurred more and more frequently in the weeks since the reticent monk had tentatively accepted Goku as his partner and acknowledged the deepening relationship between the other two men.

===============

With Gojyo and Goku separated, an hour passed in relative silence, and with the rain diminished, the best progress of the day was made. Sanzo had refused to allow Goku to rest his head against his shoulder, but eventually the jeep's steady motion, the soggy afternoon heat, and the rhythm of the lighter rain and Gojyo and Hakkai's quiet conversation lulled the monk into a drowsy stupor. Rain notwithstanding, he slid down in the seat and slipped into a doze, his own head tipped against Goku's shoulder. Goku inclined his head toward his partner's and closed his own eyes, a hint of a satisfied smile curving his lips. Catching sight of them in the rearview mirror, Hakkai smiled to himself.

The respite was short-lived. The jeep skidded to a stop, jarring all of them fully awake, when Hakkai hit the brakes as he rounded a curve and just missed driving into a washout. Traversing a heavily forested ridge, a stretch of the gravel road had washed into the gully of trees on the lower side, leaving but a narrow path between themselves and the intact road some distance ahead. "Damn," said Gojyo, eyeing the deep gully into which the jeep would have plunged had Hakkai not stopped in time.

The four men climbed out of the jeep, shouldered their packs, gathered their sleeping rolls, and began walking along the slick, narrow pathway left to them. Their small white dragon appeared near Hakkai's shoulder, struggling to fly and bowing his head against the continuing rainfall.

They were half way across the gap when a bolt of lightening lit the dark afternoon sky, closely followed by a peel of thunder, and the rain began to fall again as a solid gray curtain. "Fuck," muttered Sanzo, Goku, and Gojyo simultaneously.

"Now, now," said Hakkai, in the lead and turning back to them briefly, "we're almost there." He had just made it to solid ground when the sound of clattering stones and brush breaking free of the hillside to their left reached his ears from the track slightly behind him. He turned just in time for Gojyo to plow into him as he sprang free of the small landslide, and together they watched as the clutter of mud, stones, and branches tumbled under Sanzo's feet and the monk wildly grasped at empty air as he slipped over the edge of the broken embankment. **__**

"Sanzo!" yelled Goku as he dropped his things and threw himself to the ground, reaching for his partner's hand. Their hands locked around each other's wrists as Sanzo's feet plunged out from under him into mid-air over the gap, his sleeping roll tumbling into the trees below. With his other hand, Goku clung tightly to the roots of a tree still holding its own on the upper side of the path. "Gojyo, help!" he cried.

Sanzo was hanging by his left arm, pressed against the muddy wall of washed out road and reaching for the slippery edge of the remaining pathway, which crumbled under his fingers as he grasped it. His feet scrabbled for purchase on the rocks and roots trapped in the dirt wall.

Gojyo had already lain down full length on the path on the other side of the fallen debris and was reaching now for Sanzo's free hand. With Gojyo's fingers wrapped as tightly around his right wrist as Goku's were around his left, Sanzo was able to brace his boots against the muddy wall and scale it as the others pulled him out. When he was finally able to kneel on the remaining ledge, Goku released his hand so he could crawl over Gojyo to the safety of the intact roadway.

Using the roots and small tree trunks available to them, Goku and Gojyo pulled themselves to a stand on either side of the small mudslide, Gojyo having at least one foot on solid ground. Still wearing his backpack, Goku grabbed his sleeping roll and tossed it to Gojyo, who passed it to Sanzo. The redhead then stretched a hand out to the youkai, and with one hand tightly in Gojyo's grasp and the other reaching for handholds as needed, Goku was able to make his way over the landslide to his friends. "Thanks," he murmured. "You okay, Sanzo?" His eyes roved closely over the man's body, scanning for injuries he knew Sanzo would likely fail to mention.

"Ch'," said the monk. He was slightly breathless, plenty muddy again, and the rain was rolling off the blond locks plastered to his face, but he appeared unharmed, and the mud drained off of his taped poncho and jeans along with the drenching rain. Goku reached for his hand, as much to reassure himself that Sanzo was all right as to offer comfort. Never demonstrative in front of the others, Sanzo squeezed his fingers briefly, then withdrew his hand. "I'm fine." He pushed Goku's bedroll into his arms. "Carry your own stuff. Let's go."

The four walked until they reached the more solid, level road at the end of the ridge, where tree branches again arched over them, giving them some degree of protection from the downpour. Then Hakkai apologetically asked Hakuryuu to transform again into the jeep. The healer sighed as he dumped his things into the narrow storage space behind the back seat, then trudged toward his place on the driver's side. Before he climbed in he felt the firm weight of Gojyo's hand on his shoulder.

"Want me to take over for a while?" the half-youkai asked him. "You look tired and this is shit to drive in." Hakkai smiled slightly and was about to say "no" when Gojyo slid past him into the driver's seat. "Go on, take a break. You can take over again later." Hakkai rounded the front end of the car, then gratefully sank into the passenger seat, closing his eyes against the weariness and the rain.

"Step on it, kappa," ordered Sanzo. "And you better avoid any more accidents."

"Like I have any more control over this situation than you do, asshole. You're the fucking monk. You want things to go your way, how 'bout you pray for this to stop for a while?"

Sanzo grunted and settled into the seat beside Goku, absently rubbing his left shoulder, the muscles strained from hanging over the ravine from Goku's hand.

Goku frowned. "I thought you said you were fine."

"I am. Stop coddling me," Sanzo responded, annoyed as much that Goku had caught him feeling sore as he was at Goku worrying about him.

===============

The sky was so thick with dark clouds that it was hard to tell whether or not night had fallen yet, when the widening road and two or three cabins announced that they were again approaching civilization. "Finally," observed Gojyo, who had turned the wheel back over to Hakkai some time earlier. "Damn inn better have rooms available," he remarked as he caught sight of the town's lights winking through the curtain of rain from a hill no more than half a mile ahead.

"I'm afraid we're not as close as it might seem, Gojyo," said Hakkai quietly as he stopped the jeep, the road having ended at the edge of a wide, roaring stream. It was apparent that the road usually ended in a shallow fjord, which the jeep ordinarily could easily have driven across, lined as it was with large expanses of flat rocks. But tonight the water was hip-deep and swirling around the rocks in miniature whirlpools as it rushed downstream. A thick rope stretched from one side of the swollen stream to the other, obviously intended for travelers to hang onto as they waded across; but the thought of crossing in the dark was none too appealing to any of the Sanzo-Ikkou.

"Damn," said Gojyo. Tired as they were from the day's struggles, they all slouched in their seats, staring at the dark, burbling waters with glazed eyes.

===== TBC =====


	2. Aftermath

Chapter Two Warning: Rating upped to R for 39 yaoi and bits of 58 yaoi; as I cautioned before, if male/male sexual content is not to your taste, you may want to leave now and look for another story to enjoy.

**Test of Rain: Chapter Two**

Goku was the first to pull himself out of his brief stupor. "Might as well get it over with. We can't get much wetter anyway. Besides, I'm starving. I want dinner." He handed Sanzo's pack to him, then grabbed his own things and stepped away from the jeep to check that the rope was fastened well to its mooring on this side of the stream. He nodded to the others, as they joined him streamside, to indicate that it was fine. "So who wants to go first?"

Before anyone responded, Sanzo was already ankle-deep in the swirling waters, giving the rope a firm yank to insure it was fastened securely to the opposite side. Satisfied, he continued, finding that he needed to hang on with both hands as he approached the stream's center, where the current's pull was strongest. Goku followed, with Hakkai behind, Hakuryuu wrapped around his neck under cover of his master's poncho; Gojyo tailed the small party.

Sanzo was approaching the shallower water on the opposite bank when a sharp jerk downward dipped the rope well below the water's surface, off-balancing him. He plopped onto his butt, head momentarily under the churning waters. "Fuck," he shouted as he resurfaced, one hand still clutching the rope. He was pulled down again as a flailing arm struck him and a hand grasped his shirt.

Goku had lost his footing on the slick rocks as he was emerging from the deepest part of the stream, and he had pulled the rope under with him when he dropped into the water. Trying to retrieve the bedroll that had freed itself from the ties on his pack, he grabbed Sanzo instead and yanked on the blond's shirt to pull himself free of the current, instead landing both of them back in the water.

"Let go, bakazaru!" shouted Sanzo as he emerged again, as angry as he was drenched.

"Sorry," Goku shouted back as he regained his footing and grabbed the errant bedroll, which had tangled in the rope. "It's not like I did it on purpose!" He smiled sheepishly. "At least we're clean now!"

Sanzo only growled as he stepped out of the water. His questionable cleanliness did not last long. The bank was steeper on this side of the stream, and the mud was as slick as black ice as he tried to gain his footing on it. He slipped twice before he reached level ground and turned to see how his companions were faring, only to be toppled to the ground by the full force of Goku's weight as the younger man slipped and fell on top of him.

Lying atop the monk, Goku cringed and threw his arms over his head to protect himself from the thrashing he knew was coming. Indeed, Sanzo whacked him across the head before thrusting him off of himself and scrambling back to his feet. "Fucking clumsy idiot!" But the monk slipped again himself as he turned on his heel to continue down the road. Gritting his teeth and growling, he lay on his back for a moment in the muck, propped on his elbows, rain sheeting over his face, almost beyond caring by this point.

Goku loomed over him, his hand extended, chin drooping onto his chest. "Sorry," he murmured apologetically in his best imitation of a remorseful puppy.

"Forget it," muttered Sanzo as he took the proffered hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. When he had regained his footing yet again, he looked for the other pair, who were similarly engaged. "What the hell are you doing?" he barked.

"Same as you I expect…" answered Gojyo, who also lay in the mud near the top of the bank, with Hakkai reaching down to pull him up. Drenched as he was, the healer was the only one who had yet escaped a thorough muddying. Gojyo took it upon himself to remedy that situation. Rather than leverage himself up, he yanked on Hakkai's arm, pulling the brunette atop him. "…Only I know how to take advantage of it," Gojyo told the monk.

Hakkai blinked in surprise.

"What?" asked Gojyo. "You didn't think I was gonna let you get away again, did you?" He rolled over, pinning the dark-haired youkai on his back in the middle of the muddy road, arms above his head, rain splashing into his face.

The dragon, rain dripping from his wings, squawked above their heads. "He is being rather childish, isn't he, Hakuryuu," remarked Hakkai, making no effort to free himself. He smiled into his partner's face expectantly, too tired to fight and long past letting the weather get to him.

Gojyo's heart skipped a beat, and he felt himself flush even as the rain cooled him. _Gods, I love this man_, he thought as he leaned forward and caught Hakkai's lips with his own.

Sanzo sneered and turned toward the town. "Damn fools. Let's go, bakazaru." Goku watched the pair for a moment, slightly jealous, then sprinted a step or two to catch up with the monk.

"Mmm," murmured Hakkai through Gojyo's kiss. "You make a good rain shield, Gojyo, but I think I'd prefer to get a room."

Gojyo laughed as he rose, then pulled his partner to his feet, and together they followed the others into town to the nearest inn. Hakuryuu sought his usual protected place in the crook of Hakkai's arm. The healer hadn't the heart to ask him to transform and carry them the rest of the way.

================

With Goku clamoring for food, Sanzo wasn't certain which he wanted to deal with first, dinner, rooms, or the baths. The innkeeper took the decision out of his hands. Looking askance at the four disheveled men dripping mud and water on the entry hall floor, he answered Sanzo's question about room availability in the affirmative, then added, "But I expect you'll be wanting to bathe, first?"

The four glanced at each other, and all nodded agreement. "Two rooms?" the innkeeper asked, confirming Sanzo's request.

"Yes." Sanzo signed for the rooms and took the keys. "Is your dining room still serving dinner?"

"No," said the man in charge, his eyes widening when he took in Sanzo's signature, "but the kitchen is open until ten, and I can have something sent up to your rooms, if you wish." His voice had suddenly become more gracious. "If you will allow me, Sanzo-sama," he continued, taking the keys back with a brief bow of his head, "I didn't realize I was hosting such distinguished company. I believe I have more comfortable rooms available." He looked over his board of room keys and exchanged them for two others.

Sanzo's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he took the keys, handing one to Hakkai and pocketing the other.

The innkeeper then offered them a short list of meal choices. The four placed their orders and were told the meals would be waiting for them on warmers when they came in from the baths, along with their choice of beer or sake. "I regret to send you back into the rain…" the innkeeper apologized, "but…" He glanced toward the well-appointed common rooms between them and the staircase. "The baths can be accessed from the entrance outside, around the corner. When you're finished, the archway in the sidewall that connects the bathing area to this building will take you behind our sitting room, back to the stairs. Your rooms are across from each other at the end of the left hallway off the first landing. Spacious corner rooms. I trust they will be to your liking."

He continued a little nervously. "You should find all the towels and supplies you need in the baths, as well as terrycloth robes and slippers, if you wish to use them in lieu of dressing there." He looked them over once more. "If you wish to leave your soiled things in the baths, I will ask my laundress to pick them up there and return them to you tomorrow."

Their arrangements complete, Sanzo led the way back out of the inn and around the corner of the building.

"Sounds good," Goku remarked cheerfully, ducking his head against the rain.

Sanzo grunted. Then, as if the day had not gone badly enough already, he tripped and slid, yet again, into a muddy puddle outside the entryway. "Son of a bitch!" he shouted, landing painfully on his tailbone, adding injury to insult.

Following the example Gojyo had set a short while before, Goku dropped into Sanzo's lap, facing him, a knee resting in the mud on either side of his lover's thighs. He took the blond's face between his hands. "Last time today, Sanzo. I promise. No more mud after this."

"What the hell do you think…"

But Goku was not to be deterred by the monk's anger. He planted his lips firmly on the older man's, locking his arms around Sanzo's neck and pressing their heads and mouths tightly together.

He did not get the welcoming reception Hakkai had given Gojyo. Sanzo grabbed his shoulders, struggling to push him off and cursing into his mouth. When Goku persisted, Sanzo's anger mounted and he fought harder, eventually twisting sharply enough that he was able to push Goku to the side, onto his back. Kneeling on one knee beside the youth, he threw the other over Goku and pressed his hands into the younger man's shoulders, pinning him solidly to the ground.

"Damn you! Don't think you can treat me the way that fucking kappa treats Hakkai! I am NOT in the mood for this!" He pulled his soggy fan out of the-gods-knew-where and raised it to strike the youkai.

Goku lay still beneath him, waiting, flushed and breathing heavily, but golden eyes defiant. They had been together long enough that he had begun to trust his instincts on the effect he had on Sanzo.

He was not disappointed. At the look in Goku's eyes, and the deepening flush visible on his face in the dim light coming from the bathhouse windows, the monk paused, his own breath hitching, then deepening.

"Sanzo," Goku whispered breathlessly.

"Damn you! You fucking monkey!"

"I hope so," Goku murmured, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Sanzo dropped the fan and braced himself, one hand on the ground either side of Goku's head, then dropped his mouth to the youth's, directing his anger into a ferocious kiss. Goku threw his arms around Sanzo's neck and returned it, greedily taking all he could get before Sanzo pulled away abruptly, rose, and grabbed his backpack. He brushed an open hand through his wet hair and stalked into the bathhouse, leaving his monkey in the mud.

Goku rose unhurriedly, gathered his fallen things, and followed, confident that he had broken through the man's defenses. On entering the building, he was surprised to find, instead of a single large bath, several bathing pools of various sizes and shapes arranged in a loose U around three sides of the spacious room, most separated by tastefully-decorated privacy screens that could be moved or removed as desired. Continuously fed by local hot springs, the pools themselves warmed the room, light wisps of steam rising above the screens from their surfaces, and a faint odor of sulfur scenting the air. Goku began to walk from one bath to the next along a gently curving pathway of smooth slate paving stones. The walkway circled a pleasantly contoured display of plants and abstract statuary arranged around a small, cool fountain in the center of the baths beneath a skylit ceiling of translucent glass panels.

The music of the rain striking the now-dark glass above masked any other sounds in the bathhouse, though Goku listened for his companions as he circled the garden fountain, glancing discreetly into each bathing area in search of his partner. He paused for a moment when he caught sight of Gojyo and Hakkai behind the edge of one screen, already stripped of their muddy clothes and relaxing in the pool nearest the entrance through which they had all come. He blushed and hurriedly turned away as the redhead, kneeling in the bath in front of his partner, leaned in to take Hakkai's lips in a slow, passionate kiss.

Goku's pace quickened, and he felt a tightening in his groin as he recalled the pressure of Sanzo's lips bruising his own a few minutes earlier. A few paces later, he froze near the opening between two screens when he caught sight of the blond sitting on the end of a simple, heavy wooden bench beside a small pool nearly half way around the pathway. He watched as the monk, his shirt already off, bent to remove his boots and socks, then paused, arching his neck back and rolling his head first toward one shoulder, then toward the other, stretching tired muscles.

When Sanzo reached up to rub his sore shoulder, Goku quietly removed his boots and put his things down just inside the screen, then stepped up behind the man and rested his hands lightly on Sanzo's shoulders. "Here, let me," he said.

Sanzo started, and his body tensed. Absorbed in his thoughts and brooding at the sound of the rain beating on the roof overhead, he had not heard Goku arrive. He brushed one of Goku's hands away. "You're filthy. Go clean up. I was looking forward to relaxing by myself."

"Were you?" Goku asked, returning his hand to the man's shoulder and beginning to massage the tight muscles between the fingers and thumbs of both hands. "That's not the impression you gave me outside."

"Yes," said Sanzo, scowling, but he closed his eyes and relaxed a little into Goku's touch. Goku increased the pressure of his rubbing, the mud on his hands and the perspiration on Sanzo's skin providing just enough lubrication to allow his hands to work smoothly. Sanzo's head sank forward, allowing Goku easier access to the back of his neck.

They continued this way for several minutes, then Sanzo straightened and arched his back. "Enough. Go away."

Goku slid around him and slipped onto his lap, face-to-face, his right leg slung over the bench around Sanzo's hip, his left over Sanzo's thigh, foot braced on the floor at the end of the small bench. His hands never left the man's shoulders, sliding smoothly around his neck and across his collarbones as they moved from back to front while Goku changed position. The youkai lightly kissed his obstinate partner and continued the massage, now rubbing his shoulders, upper arms, and chest with the full expanse of his palms and fingers. Sanzo sighed as Goku directed a small amount of ki into his hands, warming Sanzo's skin and soothing the sore muscles. "I'll go if you really want me to," the younger man murmured, leaning close to kiss the blond again, this time flicking his tongue on the man's lips.

Sanzo's breath caught briefly. "Stubborn asshole," he protested. "I told you what I want." But his actions belied his words as his arms loosely circled Goku's waist, and his lips and tongue answered Goku's gentle exploration.

As their kiss deepened, Goku pressed his hips tighter against Sanzo, and his hands slid around to the man's back. Sanzo's arms tightened around him, the protests dying and their kiss stretching into prolonged exploration of each other's mouths and tongues. Goku could feel Sanzo's heart beating against his own chest and the slow expansion and contraction of Sanzo's lungs as his breathing deepened.

A few minutes later Sanzo pushed him back. "You're a mess. Get this muddy stuff off." He fumbled with the buttons on Goku's shirt, then pushed it off the youth's shoulders.

Goku stood up in front of him, his golden eyes locked on Sanzo's violets, and removed his shirt, then stripped off his wet jeans and briefs. He stood still for a moment, allowing Sanzo to look him over from head to toe, then he took Sanzo's hands in his own and pulled him to a stand. He traced the recent scar on Sanzo's chest, then drew his fingers down the monk's firm abdomen to the waistband of his jeans. He tilted his head back, inviting Sanzo to kiss him again while he unfastened the snap and pulled down the zipper; then he lowered Sanzo's jeans and took them off as the monk stepped out of them.

When Goku stood up, Sanzo rubbed his fingers firmly across the young man's cheek to remove a smudge of mud, then shook his head hopelessly.

"What?" asked Goku.

"You look like a silly kid with your face dirty."

Goku smiled. "So do you, you know." He stood on his toes to kiss a dark smudge on Sanzo's cheek, then took the older man's hands in his own again. "And your hands are even dirtier than mine, in case you haven't noticed. Come on, let's clean up." He drew Sanzo to the bath, and they both sank into the hot water.

Sanzo grimaced slightly as he sat on the wide ledge that circled the tub, serving as a seat. Ever attentive to his lover's feelings and injuries, Goku's brow furrowed with concern as he looked into Sanzo's eyes. "Are you okay?"

"No, actually." An impatient edge had crept into Sanzo's voice again as he was reminded of the day's trials. "My tailbone was not helped by your dropping me on my ass in the road this morning, or by my landing on it twice again this evening.

Goku reached to brush a damp lock of hair out of Sanzo's eyes. "Sorry. You did have it coming this morning, though."

"Ch'," Sanzo responded.

Half floating in the water in front of the monk, Goku pushed himself closer and leaned in to kiss him again, then nibbled his earlobe and whispered, "I'll make it up to you."

Closing his eyes, Sanzo slouched further into the water and tipped his head back against the sidewall of the pool. "Stop being distracting. I'm tired. I just want to get clean and relax," he insisted.

"If that's all you want…" said Goku, an audible pout in his voice. He reached for a bar of jasmine-scented soap from a basket sitting beside the pool. Straddling the monk's thighs, he lathered his hands with the soap, then resumed his massage of the man's shoulders and neck, spreading the lather in gentle circles over them. Sanzo closed his eyes and sighed, finally relaxing enough to let his partner take charge.

Goku lifted Sanzo's right arm out of the water, and Sanzo let it float on the surface while Goku continued rubbing soapy circles around his biceps, his elbow, his forearm, and his wrist, then gave just as careful attention to his hand and palm and each of his fingers. He finished the arm by bringing the hand to his mouth and placing a light, nibbling kiss on each fingertip. Sanzo's head dropped further back, his neck arching, as a small moan escaped his lips.

Goku smiled mischievously as he re-lathered his hands and returned to Sanzo's shoulders, then worked his way down the other arm. By the time he reached the monk's fingers, and kissed each fingertip, Sanzo's face and chest were flushed, his breathing was becoming ragged, and his moan was more satisfied when Goku nibbled the tip of his left pinky finger.

Goku adjusted his position and leaned in to Sanzo for a long, slow kiss, their tongues twining and tasting, but not dueling. The next time he lathered his hands, Goku rubbed his soapy fingers on Sanzo's brow, smoothing his hair back from his eyes, then he traced soapy lines down the blond's nose and along the prominent bones of his cheeks. He used the pads of his fingers to rub small, soothing circles on his temples, around his ears, and along his jaw, washing away Sanzo's tension while he cleaned the mud from his face. With Sanzo's face and neck lathered, he reached again for the basket, digging through it until he found a scoop. Shielding Sanzo's eyes with one hand, he ladled warm water onto his face and hair with the other, rinsing the soap away and preparing his hair for shampoo.

Goku placed a butterfly kiss on each of Sanzo's eyelids, then kissed a drop of water from the tip of his nose before relaxing back onto the monk's lap. Sanzo cracked his lids open and watched his lover through lidded eyes as Goku soaped his hands yet again. Goku raised himself a little to reach forward and work the lather into Sanzo's golden hair, and he shivered slightly as the cooler air caressed his shoulders and upper back. The firm, smooth muscles of his chest brushed against Sanzo's lips, and he had to pause in his work, his fingers twining into Sanzo's hair, his back arching, and his breath catching when he felt Sanzo's lips and tongue and teeth find his right nipple, and then his left, while the man's hands caressed his lower back under the water. The two froze in that position for a moment, Sanzo intensely aroused, but too relaxed to move more than he was, and Goku struggling to keep his rising ardor under control so he could finish the job he had started.

Goku closed his eyes and focused on the steady rhythm of the rainfall on the glass skylights until he regained enough focus to continue. Then he worked the shampoo into Sanzo's hair, slowly massaging every inch of his scalp with his fingertips. When he was finished washing the blond locks, he slid off of Sanzo's lap to kneel on the seat beside him. He gently pulled Sanzo away from the edge of the pool, supporting his shoulders as his body floated in the water. Sanzo tilted his head back into the water until his hair fanned into a halo around his nearly submerged face, the lather rinsing from it.

Freed from his tranquil stupor, Sanzo extricated himself from Goku's hold and ducked under the water to more fully rinse his hair, then returned to his seat, water streaming from his wet locks over his face and shoulders. He slicked his hair back with both hands, pressing some of the water out of it, then he sat up and turned side-ways toward his partner. "Come here," he commanded, pulling the smaller man into position in front of himself, Goku's back to his front. Further turned on by the ripple of Goku's firm muscles under his hands, he dropped his head and kissed the back of Goku's neck, his arms encircling the youth's torso, fingertips caressing his chest.

Pulling back after a moment, he picked up the bar of soap from the edge of the pool where Goku had left it, lathered his own hands, and began to wash Goku's hair. As Goku relaxed to the touch of Sanzo's fingers on his scalp, he placed his arm on the edge of the pool and laid his head on it, enjoying the intimacy they so seldom had a chance to share. After Sanzo had massaged the lather into his scalp, he dropped his hands to the back of Goku's neck, then rubbed the soap into the skin of his exposed shoulders, upper arms, and upper back with gently circling fingertips. He then pried Goku up from the edge of the tub. "Don't go to sleep on me now," he warned him. "Rinse." He gently pushed Goku under water in front of him.

When Goku resurfaced, water pouring from his hair over his tanned, well-sculptured face, he thrust himself at Sanzo, locking him in a passionate embrace. "I love you so much, Sanzo," he whispered in his ear.

"Mmm," said Sanzo. "I'll love you better cleaner," he said matter-of-factly. He gently pushed the younger man backwards, lathered a washcloth with soap, and handed it to Goku. "Wash," he commanded.

A few weeks earlier, Goku's confidence might have been shaken by Sanzo's apparent coolness and withdrawal at the height of a romantic moment. But now he calmly backed away a step or two and stood up in the pool in front of Sanzo, eyes locking on the older man's as Sanzo slipped back into his relaxed position against the wall of the pool. Sanzo's desire to watch him as he bathed, and the erotic effect that had on the man, were not lost on him, as they might have been even two or three weeks before, and he was learning how to make the most of such opportunities.

Goku shivered under Sanzo's intense gaze, the air on his skin cooler than the hot water that was continually replenished by the springs feeding the pool. He dipped the soapy cloth in the water, then slowly washed his face and neck. Allowing the cloth to float on the surface, he sank to his knees on the pool floor, then closed his eyes and sat down on his haunches, submerging his head again. He rose slowly, and met Sanzo's gaze again, conscious of the steam rising around him and the water streaming off his body. He paused for a moment, enjoying the satisfaction and attraction that infused Sanzo's expression as he watched.

He picked up the washcloth and stepped close to the monk again. "More soap," he requested quietly, releasing the cloth and caressing Sanzo's hand and forearm as the monk's hand closed on it. As Sanzo re-lathered the cloth, Goku lifted one foot and ran his toes along the inside of Sanzo's thigh. He was gratified to see the monk freeze for a moment, breath hitched and eyes shut, before he pushed Goku's foot away and handed the cloth back.

Goku stepped back again, and watched Sanzo's eyes intently as they closely tracked his every motion. He took his time rubbing the lathered cloth over every inch of his arms, chest, and abdomen. He rinsed the cloth out, and slowly drew it, dripping, over the same path across his body, knowing how Sanzo enjoyed seeing the water ripple off his skin as he rinsed off. When Sanzo's eyes drifted to his face, he slowly licked his lips in anticipation and saw Sanzo's breathing speed up in response. He watched Sanzo's desire spike again when he dipped the cloth below the water's surface to wash the regions of his body that Sanzo could see only vaguely through the water and steam. His own arousal increased proportionately, and he could no longer stand not to be touched.

He let go of the washcloth and sank into the water again, approaching Sanzo with only his head above the surface, his eyes glued to the monk's. This time he sprawled atop Sanzo, wrapping his arms around his neck. He shuddered when Sanzo clasped him in a nearly smothering embrace, and their bodies pressed together almost of their own volition, aroused by the slow lovemaking to a point where they were already craving release. There was no holding back when they kissed each other this time, each nearly devouring the other, their hands roaming all over each other's bodies as their mouths attacked each other.

Goku drew back when he could barely breathe, his eyes glittering with desire. He reached for the tube of waterproof lubricant he had found in the poolside basket when he had looked for the water scoop, and he squeezed some into his own hand and some into Sanzo's. By unspoken, mutual consent, they agreed to maintain the relaxed and gentle manner that had ruled their lovemaking tonight, and they adjusted their positions so each could use his hands to bring the other maximum pleasure.

Their caresses and strokes paralleled one another's as they took turns driving each other to the peak, then pulling back just before the pleasure crested so they could ride another swelling wave before climax. Between and during strokes, their mouths were all over each other, alternately kissing, nipping, licking any spot they could reach. Moans and cries repeatedly rose in their throats, though they did their best to hold them back, both just barely conscious of their near-public surroundings and the proximity of their companions.

"Sanzo," Goku finally moaned, his whole body quivering with suppressed tension, his cries and his seed ready to burst.

"I love you, Goku," Sanzo whispered through clenched teeth as his hand stroked yet again, giving Goku the release he asked for. A mere second later his own body shuddered, and he couldn't suppress an incoherent cry, as Goku gave him the same gift.

They were suspended for a moment in time and space, nearly unconscious, the agitated hot water lapping over their bodies. Slowly Sanzo came back to awareness and relaxed again onto the underwater bench, his legs outstretched, his eyes closed and head dropped back against the side of the pool, his chest heaving. Goku lay on top of him, head on his shoulder beneath his chin, the water lapping at his own chin and cheek. He sighed deeply as his breath returned, and the two squeezed their arms around each other, as close to being one as it was possible for them to feel.

"I love you so much," Goku repeated, his voice choked. Sanzo responded by caressing his lover's hair and placing a kiss among the wet locks. Goku was satisfied. He didn't often hear open words of love, and on this of all days, in pouring rain, when Sanzo had been pushed to his limits, he had not expected to hear them at all.

A few more moments passed before Goku's stomach growled, and Sanzo felt the rumble against his own abdomen. "Oops," Goku said.

Sanzo sat up, gently pushing Goku off. "Your dinner will be cold."

"Yours, too," replied Goku, still clinging to Sanzo and leaning in for another kiss.

"Yes, but I'm not especially hungry." He accepted the kiss and lightly returned it. "My appetite has been satisfied tonight, I think."

Goku's eyes twinkled. "I told you I'd make it up to you."

Sanzo pushed him off more firmly. "And I told you I just wanted to clean up and relax."

"What? You're clean. You're not relaxed?"

Sanzo climbed out of the bath and walked to the low shelving on the wall. He tossed a towel to Goku, now sitting on the edge of the pool, and pulled one out for himself. "I suppose I should be glad sometimes that you don't bother listening to me. Damn monkey. Let's get going." He toweled his hair dry, then wrapped himself in one of the thick terrycloth robes that hung on hooks near the towels. He slipped his feet into a pair of the matching slippers, then brought a robe and slippers to his partner.

Goku stood as Sanzo approached. He walked into the older man's arms, hugging him and snuggling into the terry robe. Sanzo briefly returned the hug, then pushed him away and held the other robe for him to slip his arms into. Goku's stomach rumbled again. "Let's go eat," Sanzo told him as the younger man tied the belt on his robe and slipped into his slippers.

They left their soiled things in a large basket that appeared to be for that purpose, shouldered their packs, and headed for their room. Gojyo and Hakkai were apparently long gone, the bath they had used empty and already cleaned up, and their mud-stained things already removed. As the two followed the center pathway under the skylight, Sanzo paused for a moment to look up at the wet glass and listen to the continued rainfall. "I'd almost forgotten it was raining," he said before continuing.

Goku wrapped his arm around Sanzo's waist and pulled him close. He grinned to himself, happy beyond words that even on a rain-drenched day like this, his love could make Sanzo forget the rain.

===== Owari =====

AN: I realize that I took liberties in this chapter with public bath etiquette; if that disturbs you, forgive me for putting my desire for this setting—and Goku's and Sanzo's rapacious desires—ahead of commonly understood etiquette. But this is, after all, fanfic—in a fictional world with different traditions than ours and written as fan service for the 39 community.

Thanks to all of you who took the time to review chapter one. K.Firefly, Keistje, Zelgadis, Rhoda, Me-Nuriko, and KarotsaMused, it's gratifying to have you back for another ride and to know that you're glad I picked up where I left off with "Awakenings." It was nice to write a story in which I inconvenienced them and got them a little dirty, but didn't feel inclined to beat them up until they recognized the truths about each other that they might have seen without getting hurt if only they weren't so stubborn.

Welcome to my take on the Saiyuki world, NekoMegami-chan and Celeste, and thanks for your compliments.

Nightfall, your review is as well-crafted and delightful to read as your stories. I'm glad to have you aboard for this one. I hope you aren't too disappointed that this chapter doesn't address the memories evoked by the rain. I'm afraid the diet of Sanzo/Goku relationship angst, fluff, and sex that Keistje has been feeding me for editing left me with an appetite to write my own version of such events. After the abundant angst in my previous story, I was looking to write something lighter weight and fun, mud notwithstanding. Hope you enjoyed it anyway.


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